Volume X, Issue I
Giving Marriage to the World
Once Again
Warren Cole Smith and John Stonestreet write in their book: Restoring All Things, that: "G-d did not begin the world with a government or even a church. He started it with a wedding. That's also how it will end. In Genesis we find Adam and Eve, and in Revelation we celebrate the restoration of all things with the wedding feast of the Lamb: the consumation of history and the final and everlasting coming together of Christ and His Church."
They continue: "Marriage was built into the fabric of this world from the very beginning of time. Through marriage, G-d provided the basic building block of all civilizations, establishing the context within which future generations would be procreated and preserved. In other words, marriage matters."
Pointing out that statistics generally paint a pretty bleak picture of the state of marriage today, Smith and Stonestreet dig deeper. The much touted study that shows the divorce rate the same within the church as for those who do not identify with any church counts pretty much everyone who identifies themselves as Christian in the second group.
Among those who actually attend church regularly, there is a significant drop in the divorce rate, falling from about half to 38%. Among those who actively practice their faith, the rate drops to less than 20%. Clearly the more thorough investigation shows a different picture of the impact of Faith in marriage.
If that's true, then why all the bad press?," the authors ask. "The answer is... a bad press!" Sociologist Bradly Wright studied the Barna data more exhaustively and concluded that the media: "are quick to paint gloomy pictures of Christians because these negative stereotypes reinforce their own ideologies and sell well."
But Christian media and Christian celebrity authors also are quick to promote these sorts of stereotypes because, again, they sell well. 'They'll find the worst statistics, and tell them in the first chapter, and then spend the next eight chapters telling you how to fix the problem.' It's a strategy that sells books and fills seminars, but it also misrepresents Christianity and the many Christians who, by following Biblical principles, are seeing good fruit in their married lives."
The problem is that the true story is that of transformation and redemption. G-d fearing people elevated the place of women, children and family from that of their Pagan neighbors. History tells us as much. The Apostle Paul, often painted by secularists as having low opinion of women, actually treasured the fellowship of his colleagues in both tentmaking and the Gospel: Priscilla and Aquilla. This couple is mentioned by name seven times in his writing, noting that they TOGETHER were instrumental in instructing Apollos in the Faith. [1.]
The very real power of redemption is seen in the stories of countless couples who have tasted it in their own lives. The world needs to hear our stories.